Can They Share the Trophy? 2025 MVP Race

Every year, the MVP debate gets people fired up, but this time I’m the most indecisive I have ever been. It’s between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic: both have been absolutely unreal this season. I feel like I could flip a coin and still feel something was missing either way. Both guys deserve it, but that also makes it crazy difficult to choose.

Shai has taken his game to a new level, leading the Thunder, one of the youngest teams in the league, to the top of the West. He’s averaging a league-best 32.7 points per game and guiding his team like a vet who’s been around forever. His scoring is elite, his defense has gotten so much better, and everything he’s doing feels fresh and electric. Watching him play is just fun. He’s become the face of that entire franchise, and you can’t deny how clutch he’s been in big moments.

But then there is Jokic…just wow. His full stat line for the 2024-25 season doesn’t feel real: 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game over 70 games. He’s shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three. Those are video game numbers. He’s averaging a triple-double, making the game easier for everyone around him, and although the Nuggets aren’t as dominant as they were a couple seasons ago, they still maintained that top-4 seed in the West. He’s done it before, but somehow this might be his most dominant, efficient, and well-rounded season yet. Even Coach Steve Kerr said Jokic might be the best center ever.

I don’t envy the voters this year. I’ve been flipping back and forth all season. One day I’m all in on SGA’s breakout leadership. The next day, I see Jokic drop another unheard of stat line and wonder how anyone could pick against him. Whoever wins, I just hope the other guy gets huge respect, because this might be the closest MVP race I’ve ever seen. Both of these guys have been absolutely unreal all year, and honestly, I’d be happy with either one taking home the trophy.